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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1982)
national Battalion/Page 12 April 7,1982 Volcano blows; scientists say 1980 repeat unlikely I mi United Press International VANCOUVER, Wash. — Seismic activity under Mount St. Helens dropped significantly al ter the volcano erupted three times in 24 hours, but minor emissions of steam and ash con tinued Tuesday and scientists were unsure what to expect next. The volcano blasted a plume to about 14,GOO feet at 4:07 a.m. Tuesday, but scientists didn’t know whether the emission con tained any ash because of heavy cloud cover. “We had a sizable event,” said A.B. Adams of the University of Washington Geophysics Depart ment. “There’s lots of rain around the mountain. It's possi ble the plume went to 14,000 feet, but unless it gets to 20,000, it’s hard to tell. Seismically it was about as big as another minor eruption Mon day evening, he said. “We’re sort of in limbo at the moment,” said Bob Norris, another volcano watcher at the UW, when seismic activity chop ped off Monday night. “This does not mean that we’re over with volcanic activ ity.” Norris said. “We are still ex pecting to see something since the seismic activity has been so high during the day.” Norris said intense harmonic tremors, indicating movement of lava or gas somewhere inside the volcano, were recorded after the volcano blew plumes of steam and ash to 28,000 and 32,000 feet Sunday night and early Monday. As small steam emissions con tinued, the strong tremors sub sided shortly after a third blast Monday evening, he said. “This activity is Very different from what we’ve seen in the past so we have no clear guidelines,” Norris said. “It is still possible we ll see some explosive activity even though the seismic activity has dropped off.” He said the mountain’s status could be likened to the decline in seismic activity before the catac lysmic May 18, 1980, eruption that killed or buried 60 people. But he said there were enough differences to dispel any con cerns the volcano was preparing for a repeat performance. “It’s still possible that we could get a vertical eruption of the same magnitude, with simi lar amounts of ash as in 1980, but the explosiveness would not be the same,” he said. “Then we had the entire summit providing a cap on the pressure and now we have just the (lava) dome.” Steve Malone, director of the UW Geophysics Department, discounted the potential for another explosive eruption. He said it was much more likely the volcano would produce a mild event in which hardened mag ma would be added to the 680- foot lava dome in the volcano’s crater. “These seismic bursts of activ ity and harmonic tremors seem to be very shallow, just right in the throat of the volcano, right in the area around the dome, and we assume largely produced by the recent gases, mostly wa ter,” Malone said. “If this is the case, then it doesn’t necessarily involve any deep-seated, new source (of magma),” he added. The eruption at 5:20 p.m. PST Monday was described as a “small gas emission” that sent up a cloud of steam with a small amount of ash to an elevation of about 23,000 feet — about 13,000 feet above the crater. V hi • $ ^ I . A FALL '82 M€ni PLAN INFORMATION FOR OFF CAMPUS STUDCNTS Food Services will validate off campus students desir ing a contract board plan, to dine at the facility of their choice, limited only by the capacity of each facility. There will be no quota or waiting list. Validation will begin at the Sbisa Office on August 9. 1982, with personal presentation of paid fee slip. - ! U. This won't hurt much photo by Todd IVcxxW j Chinook, 4-month-old patient of Dr. Chinook’s owner, brought the cat ini Greg Troy, tries to move away from for treatment of ear mites. Trot the stethescope as Troy checks the said ear mites are bugs that make cat’s heartbeat. Wren Marsh, cats scratch their ears. Thursday: LUNCH SPECIALS — PORK CHOPS — $2.95 HAPPY HOUR: 4:00-7:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m.-12:00 p.m. Baseball takes trip on shuttle sJiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ OFFICIAL NOTICE General Studies Program Students who plan to Pre-Register for the Fall Semester in the General Studies Program are URGED to pick up a Pre-registration Form in Room 100 of Harrington Tower from Mar. 29 thru Apr. 16. United Press International ! CINGINNA I I — A basely traveled 1.25 million mib«| could be tossed 10 leet Mond:! I he 1.25-millioii-inile W was made last Noveniber, wbe a baseball was part of thearf of the space shuttle Coluinli file ball was aboard soaspt I cial ball could be used lor.ik ceremonial l irsi pitch at M« day’s National League optaK! where the Chicago Cubs beaHi Cancinnati Reds, 3-2. Before the game, astron! Joe Engle tossed the ball a iff fii Reds’ catcher Alex Trail* 1 revino handed the ballf astronaut Richard Truly, ttk made a second ceremonial IW to the catcher. The ball will go to tJieBl ball 1 bill of Fame, despite skj tic ism about the ball being0} t ied aboard the shuttle. “It Hew," Truly said. “It4 on board. I can promiseyotij took it“y\ith ns.” 5iiiiimimMimmiiiiiiimiimimiimimiiiimiiimimmiiiwiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiir: AGGIE . — - Richard mechanica Dallas, rat down the NLE char United Pres HOUSTON Labor Relatic asked two cons withdraw comf Oil, Chemica Workers Unior charged with b tion at a Texac The NLRB complaint by tion Co. and th Brooks Constrc the OCAW wa: The board s dence of const being used tc usually perfori members. The com pa members were struction of a $ lytic reforming Port Arthur fa be used to make line. BLOOD DRIVE I I IS HERE! I I APRIL 5-8 There’ weeks WUat a 'Wcui to. Cjiue). 13 I Wadley Central Blood Bank in cooperation with APO, OPA and Student Government 1 1 Hambui All you ca officers. Class T- Elephan table. Wei 2nd Ann teams • di MEMBER!: **.¥..¥.********-¥*-¥-.¥--¥^'¥-¥-¥^**4* 1 ..§•1982 UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS. INC